Thursday, April 21, 2011

Ideology of the Russian Imperial Union-Order

The basis of the RIU-O ideology is the holy Orthodox Faith. The ideology of the RIU-O rests on spiritual and religious principals and on the thousand-year experience of Russian orthodoxy.A peaceful existence of humankind on earth is possible only in accordance with God’s laws. The existence of genuinely devout people and genuinely Christian believers is also a necessary condition. The education of youth and of the whole nation should be carried out according to God’s laws and with the acknowledgement of the necessity of abidance to God’s laws and the teaching of the Christian faith.The revival of Russia and the return of the Russian nation to its spiritual ideals are possible only via the renunciation of all theomachism and heterodoxy, when the issues of the declaration of Metropolitan Sergei and the heresy of ecumenism are truthfully reviewed. Everything can be achieved through repentance, that is, through the abidance with God’s laws and the teaching of the Saint Conciliar and Apostolic Orthodox Church.Our first and main goal is the consolidation of our efforts using a clearly framed ideology, blessed by the innumerable miracles that took place before the holy miracle-working icons of the Mother of God and based on the thousand-year history of our nation, on the holy cause of Grand Prince St. Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, St. Sergius of Radonezh, all the saints that revealed themselves in the Russian land and the Holy Royal martyrs, our Great Monarchs and on the feats of our devout Host.The RIU-O considers it necessary to promote in every possible way the spiritual revival of Russian nation and the return of the Orthodox Church to its leadership role in the life of Russian society and the Russian state.

The principles of government

The RIU-O strives for a system of government that is based upon fairness, justice and rational interaction between the rights and the duties of each individual.

Views about the system of government

The authority of a father in a family is the first and divinely instituted authority on Earth. Out of this authority comes the authority of a patriarch and then of a leader -- a non-class and non-party authority, where absolute rule is limited not by the will of party leaders but by the moral law of the Church and the will of God; this is an authority that fully conforms to God’s teaching. The Tsar exercises his paternal power in the fear of God and for the good of his subjects. First of all, the Tsar is the servant of God and by being a leader of his people demonstrates his service to God’s truth.Supreme power belongs to the Monarch, who abjures to guard the purity of the Christian faith. Thus the power of the monarch is strictly limited not by obscure party goals but by the unshakeable concept of the Holy Orthodox Church doctrine and basic state laws of the Russian Empire. Monarchy, as our greatest thinker Dostoevsky said, is exactly the same absolute and eternal truth as Orthodoxy.The historic formula of Russia’s motto “For Faith, Tsar and Fatherland!” briefly summarises the core of Russian statehood and inflicts upon every Russian citizen the Duty of Honour to serve this ideal in an unshakeable loyalty to the end of his days.The members of RIU-O consider the active participation of the general public in the management of state affairs as necessary and useful - especially participation in bureaucratic bodies, as a means of control and for the suppression of dishonesty, bribery, abuse of authority by officials at different levels of power. Public representation, the State Duma elected under the democratic principle, should have advisory functions in terms of legislation and should participate in creation of new laws.The ultimate aim of the RIU-O activity is the restoration of the Russian Orthodox Monarchy. The members of the RIU-O acknowledge that the attainment of this nation-wide goal depends, in the long run, on the Russian people, on the degree of their enlightenment, spiritual self-consciousness and the revival of their will to strive for the Faith of our fathers and forefathers. Acceleration and expansion of this process in every possible way are the unshakeable aims of the Union-Order.The RIU-O considers it necessary to assist by all means to nurture a firm and true monarchist sense of justice in every Russian citizen.

The relationship to the Romanoff Dynasty

The members of RIU-O acknowledge as unshakeable the conciliar oath of loyalty to the Romanoff Dynasty, taken in 1613. The Approved Charter of the Great Church Council and the Assembly of the Land of 1613 in Moscow on the calling of Mikhail Fyodorovich Romanoff to reign is an integral part of the RIU-O By-Laws.At present Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna is the Head of the Russian Imperial House according to the Law on Succession to the Throne of 1797 and the Rules on the Imperial Family of 1886. Her Heir is His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Georgiy Mikhailovich.The RIU-O considers it necessary to assist by all means with the consolidation of all Russian monarchists around the legitimate Sovereign and protection of Her and the Russian Imperial House against any possible encroachment.

Views on the economic system

The principle of private property is the basis of a legal regime and should be totally protected by government. Complete individual freedom and broad encouragement of individual incentive and enterprise should be the basis of a state economy, as it was in Imperial Russia.Based on the right to private property land should belong to a worthy owner according to the principle of Stolypin reforms aimed at restoration of peasant landowning.The right to establish trade unions shall be guaranteed by state laws.The government should control and fill in the gaps of private initiative, but never and nowhere should private ownership be replaced by official use.

National policy and relationship to nationals abroad

The historically formed organism of the Russian Empire should be protected from any attempts to divide it. The members of the RIU-O are against any kinds of separatist claims and forgery of historical truth concerning our past.All peoples have equal obligations to the Russian Empire and are granted absolutely equal rights within it.The RIU-O believes that some people presently located in so-called foreign lands (former “soviet republics”) have no right to evade the responsibility laid upon them and the fulfilment of their duty to the Fatherland. In connection with this fact the RIU-O strives to consolidate all who openly stand up for the motto “Faith, Tsar and Fatherland” as its members.One of the extremely important problems that played a significant part in our Fatherland’s destiny is Russophobia (defined as a hatred and fear of all things Russian) regularly disseminated by the enemies of Russia. The fight with Russophobia in every possible way, is a direct aim of the RIU-O.The RIU-O considers it necessary to assist by all means with the preservation of the territorial unity and sovereignty of the Russian Empire.

On the relationship to titles

Personal services can be the only measure of a citizen’s rights. Titles and ranks can be preserved but they cannot play any role in the decision concerning official status.

The relationship to the “communist opposition”

The members of RIU-O should always remember that enemy “number one” is communism , with which no truce, not even a temporary one, is possible.The RIU-O is based on the consideration that any Russian patriot every day can make a difference and should always assist, to the best of his or her ability in the fight against the remnants of the communistic evil that has rooted itself in our life. The efforts of separate patriots are coordinated and channeled together by our organization.

The Monarchical Conference in Moscow

The bondage was abolished in Russia on 19 February 1861 (under Julian calendar). This reform is known in Russia as the Great Reform of 1861. On the 150th anniversary of this event, on 4 March 2011 the conference “Monarchical Idea at the 21st Century” was organised in Moscow by the Russian State University of Commerce and Economics (under the patronage of the Head of the Russian Imperial House Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna), the Movement For Faith and Fatherland, and the Russian Nobility Assembly. Such conference was organised in the fourth time, former it was held in 2004, 2007, and 2009.The addresses to the participants of the conference were sent by the Head of the Russian Imperial House Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna and the Russian Orthodox Church. They were announced before the beginning of the conference.

The first report was made by Vice-Chairman of the Russian History Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences Mr Vladimir Lavrov, Dr. Hab. Mr Lavrov refuted a lot of misconceptions made by Communists in the history of the Great Reform of 1861. In particular he emphasized that the reform was in close connection with the decisions of predecessors of Emperor Alexander II. Emancipation of peasants was begun in 1797 by Emperor Paul I, to 1861 only 28% of peasants were under the bondage. The main reason of the reform was moral, religious desire of the Emperor to see his subjects as free people, and the desire to help the development of Russia due to the reform. There were no risk of any revolution in Russia that time. The success of the reform was fully connected with its compromise nature: it took into consideration the interests of both sides the nobility and the peasants. The success of the Great Reform helped the Emperor Alexander II to realise the reforms of municipal governments, courts, and the army.The Personal Secretary of Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna Sir Alexander Zakatov, PhD, made a report about the necessity to overcome the legacy of the Civil War of 1917 – 1922, and to find compromise between the Reds and the Whites. The Dynasty didn’t participate in the Civil War, it was independent. It gives to the Dynasty the possibility to be the centre of the national consolidation. As an example Mr Zakatov cited the words of Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich (the Head of the Russian Imperial House in 1938 – 1992), who was against the destruction of the Soviet heritage, but called for evolution of the social and state system of Russia at the post-Soviet stage.The Chancellor of the Russian State University of Commerce and Economics Sir Sergey Baburin, Dr. Hab., emphasized that monarchical ideas became in Russia much more popular, than they were 20 years ago. It connected with dissatisfaction of the vast majority of people in democracy, which is a fully bankrupt in Russia. The monarchy can be the institute which will help the Russian people to revive the empire at the new stage taking as an example the experience of the Commonwealth of Nations. Also Mr Baburin compared the reforms of 1860s and current reforms. Nowadays liberal reforms in Russia emancipate people from their property. It is their main reason and aim. That is why the Russian people are not satisfied with the democracy and the Constitution which announces it. Mr Baburin announced his idea to summon the Constitutional Assembly to debate the idea of the restoration of the monarchy. Being the Vice-Chairman of the Russian State Duma (the lower chamber of the Russian Parliament) in 2003 – 2007 Mr Baburin was the author of the appropriate bill draft, unfortunately it was failed by the ruling majority.Very interesting report was made by Mr Igor Chubais, Dr. Hab. (the eldest brother of a famous Russian politician Mr Anatoly Chubais). In the opinion of Mr Chubais, the main problem of the Russians nowadays is the lack of skill to study the lessons of history. The lose in the Crimean War of 1853 – 1856 was not awful for Russia, but the Emperor and the ruling elite studied the lesson and implemented very ambitious reforms soon, including the Great Reform of 1861. Twenty years ago the USSR collapsed, but the Russians didn’t study the lesson and try to revive the Communists forms and categories. It is foolishness and a great mistake. Also Mr Chubais paid the attention that the bondage in Russia was not the slavery. The peasant under the bondage have had personal rights, they could have families, could be owners of property, to be entrepreneurships and to buy the liberty, they could file an action against their masters. There were examples when the police arrested masters because of violation of the peasants’ rights by such masters. The peasants should work for master not more than three days a week. The specific of Russia was that all estates (the nobility, the clergy, the merchants, the peasants) were not free, they should serve to the state. The less freedom the nobility have got, because all lives the noble men should serve to the state as military or civil officers. The emancipation of estates began in 1785, when the nobility took the right not to serve, and was finished in 1861 when such right the peasants took too. As well as Mr Lavrov, Mr Chubais said that the main reason of the reform’s success was its compromise nature, what was a big achievement of the monarchy.Famous Russian writer and historian Mr Alexander Goryanin announced very interesting data: in the USA a slave was working for a master for 4000 hours per year, when in Russia a peasant in bondage was working for a master only for 700 hours per year.The Office Chairman of the Movement For Faith and Fatherland and the Director of the Moscow Department of the Russian Imperial Union-Order Mr Anton Liubich, MA, made a report about the connection of the monarchy as the institution with the economic development of a nation. The monarchy is interested in increase of the national economy’s capitalisation more, than in the increase of current earnings. It distinguished the monarchy from the democracy. The monarchy guarantees safety of the long-term investments. And the monarchy because of its nature is interested in decrease of the bureaucracy. Due to all these reasons the monarchy as the institution helps to the long-term economic growth. In the end of the speech Mr Liubich announced different data corroborated these statements.The last report was made by the State Duma member Mr Sergey Gavrilov. He criticised the nowadays reforms in Russia. They repeat the unsuccessful experience of the 1990s reforms. It is a big danger for Russia and its existence as the state. The reforms of 1860s helped to development of the nation, but nowadays we see the degradation of the state institutions, the economic system, and the huge emigration, especially of the youth.About 15 reports were made at the conference.The cooperation between the Russian State University of Commerce and Economics and the monarchical organisations will be continued.

Grand Duke Georgiy Mikhaylovich celebrated His 30th anniversary

On 13 March 2011 Grand Duke Georgiy Mikhaylovich, a Heir of the Russian Imperial Throne, celebrated his 30th anniversary.

Celebrations dedicated to the Birthday of His Imperial Highness were held in different cities and towns of the Russian Federation as well as other parts of the former Russian Empire.This year the Birthday of Grand Duke concurred with a big holiday the Feast of Orthodoxy, which the Orthodox Church celebrates on the first Sunday of the Lent.In Moscow about 150 people came together to the church in honour of Saint Nicholas at Three Hills, where a chairman of the Department of the Relations between the Church and Society archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin served public prayer about Grand Duke and His Mother, a Head of the Russian Imperial House Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna. After the prayer director of the Grand Duchess’s Office Sir Alexander Zakatov invested several people with Imperial orders and medals.

In Saint Petersburg about 100 people came together to the Cathedral in honour of Kazan Icon of the Virgin, where the public prayer about Grand Duke was served.

In Kiev, a former capital of Russia in the Middle Ages and a current capital of Ukraine, the public prayer was served in the Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple Cloister.

In Belgorod (a regional centre in the Central Russia) an exhibition of His Imperial Highness photos was opened.In current Belarus the public prayer was served in the Saint Nicholas Cathedral of Bobruisk.